Robbie Grabarz will be looking to add to his growing medal collection when the European Indoor Championships get into full swing today.

The Birmingham-based high jumper, who added Olympic bronze to his European outdoor title last summer, will be one of the favourites for a top three finish in Gothenburg.

But first he must come through this afternoon’s qualifying rounds to reach tomorrow’s final where, assuming things go to plan, he will take on two of the top athletes in the world.

Grabarz is likely to face Russians Aleksey Dmitrik and Sergey Mudrov, numbers two and three in the world – Dmitrik with the chance to crown his Daegu World Championships and Turin European Indoor Championships silvers with a gold in Sweden.

But they will be very aware of the threat posed by the Briton who has started 2013 in a similar vein to the one that saw him claim an outstanding bronze in London.

He has already won the British Indoor title with a clearance of 2.31m last month and is in such good form that he has had several attempts at breaking the long-standing British record of 2.37m.

While his main focus will be the outdoor IAAF World Championships this summer, another hunk of precious metal wouldn’t do any harm at all.

Grabarz is one of the highest profile members of a small 28-strong GB & NI team, the first named by new Olympic head coach Peter Eriksson, a selection that has been criticised by commentators such as Paula Radcliffe.

The European Indoors have traditionally been used to blood promising young athletes but in keeping with the austere atmosphere pervading the sport at present, Swede Eriksson has chosen a compact squad.

Other Birmingham interest comes in the relays where Luke Lennon-Ford has been selected in the 4x400m team alongside individual competitors Michael Bingham, Nigel Levine and Richard Strachan.

Fellow Birchfield Harrier Meghan Beesley is also included in the women’s two-lap team with Margaret Adeoye, Eilidh Child, Shana Cox, Christine Ohuruogu and Perri Shakes-Drayton, a squad that is likely to go head-to-head with a Russian quartet for gold.

Reigning European 800m Indoor Champion Jenny Meadows has been announced as captain after making her competitive comeback at the British Athletics Birmingham Grand Prix at the National Indoor Arena.

The 31-year-old defending gold medallist said: “It’s a great honour to be named captain of the GB & NI team, and I’m really excited to be given the opportunity to follow Helen Clitheroe, who did such a brilliant job in Paris two years ago.”

Joining Meadows on the plane is World Indoor polevault bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale, who has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2013 season, clearing 4.75m in Moscow last month on her way to a victory in which she claimed the scalps of Olympic silver medallist Yarisley Silva and 2011 World Champion Fabiana Murer.

Dwain Chambers, a 60m gold medallist at the 2009 European Indoors, will also be looking to put himself in medal contention once again after winning silver last time around.